An increasing number of roadways are being provided with reflective markers imbedded in the roadways to designate the separation between traffic lanes. It is normal practice to provide an intermittent white paint line between traffic lanes, each paint line being ten feet long, separated from the next section of paint line by a distance of 30 feet. This unpainted portion is known as the "skip line." The reflector is positioned exactly in the middle of the skip line 15 feet from the ends of each ten foot paint line. On main highways and straightaways, the reflector is positioned in alternate skip lines. On curves and on rural roads the reflector is positioned on each skip line.
In those portions of the United States that are subject to snowfall and consequent plowing by snowplows to remove the snow, it is necessary to protect the reflector from damage by the edge of the mold board of the snowplow. A standard shape of reflector unit comprising a raised cast iron H-shaped unit in which the reflector is embedded has been developed for this purpose. An example of such a unit is the Stinsonite 96. The slightly raised portion of the cast iron section protruding above the surface of the roadway permits the bottom edge of the snowplow mold board to be guided over the reflector so that it does not come in contact with the reflector and thus the reflector is protected. However, the reflector is high enough to be seen by an automobile driver and reflect light back to the driver from the automobile's headlights. In order to cut a receptacle in the pavement to receive such a protected reflector unit, it has been the practice to attempt to modify a conventional concrete saw by adding to the saw blade a plurality of blades and utilizing the power in the conventional concrete saw to remove a section of the road surface so as to provide a receptacle to receive the reflector assembly. This modification of the conventional concrete saw has resulted in an underpowered, inefficient unit that is hard to control, unsafe to use by the operator because of the passing traffic, difficult to position, and generally results in a very inefficient and expensive operation.